WALTHAM FOREST: Poor "will suffer most from climate change"

CLIMATE change will have a disproportionate effect on the poorest people in society, a councillor has warned.

Speaking at a meeting to discuss the impact of global warming on community relations, Cllr Pye said: “Its not enough to tackle climate change, we need to do it in a way that looks at the potential
impact of what we’re doing to our communities.

“Research shows that the worst effects of climate, whether it be flooding, water shortages or mass migration, always fall on the poorest members of society.

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“We need to make sure that when we put in place measures to prevent those things happening so the poorest communities aren’t the ones being affected."

Speakers at the event included Helen Ghosh, permanent secretary at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Jonathon Porritt, founder of Forum for the Future and chair of the
government’s Sustainable Development Commission, and Maria Adebowale, the founder and chief executive of Capacity Global.

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Comments (6)

No doubt Helen Ghosh, Jonathon Porritt or Maria Adebowale, won't see it this way, but they are being used in a manner both cynical and insulting to the poor whose plight no doubt they consider they are concerned about. This is becaused one of the most obvious local connections between poverty and climate change is the extent to which poor people in this borough find the money and resources which should be spent on alleviating their plight taken and spent on on 'green' activities at taxpayers expense by ambitious local politicians and politically ambitious 'environmental' experts having meetings like this instead of tackling serious local issues first. These same local politiccans until recently actually ignored the environmental impact of flights over our homes but still postured away. There are loads of examples of their hypocricy about, especially on the Crap Cycling website. So in inland Walthamstow, people worried sick by unemployment rates that have shot over 10%, or crippling debts because this goverment thinks 442% interest rates are legal (Oakam has still not been driven from the High Street) or our local homless people can have the pleasure of knowing their money is being spent on policy wonks using public money on repeating themselves to each other in discussions about the erosion of the coast. Worse, the council's spin doctors are this week using these discussions (and a flurry of other things they have been pumping out ib press releases no boubt) as a distraction from the very real issues of what the council is going to do about recovering the squandered and stolen money discussed in the Independent Panel Report. I do nevertheless wish them well and hope that all those involved have a good flight to Copenahgen. I do hope they will come back to visit us again at their own expense once the thieves in our local authority have been identified and justice has been done. Maybe that will be after the next election.

No doubt Helen Ghosh, Jonathon Porritt or Maria Adebowale, won't see it this way, but they are being used in a manner both cynical and insulting to the poor whose plight no doubt they consider they are concerned about.
This is becaused one of the most obvious local connections between poverty and climate change is the extent to which poor people in this borough find the money and resources which should be spent on alleviating their plight taken and spent on on 'green' activities at taxpayers expense by ambitious local politicians and politically ambitious 'environmental' experts having meetings like this instead of tackling serious local issues first. These same local politiccans until recently actually ignored the environmental impact of flights over our homes but still postured away. There are loads of examples of their hypocricy about, especially on the Crap Cycling website.
So in inland Walthamstow, people worried sick by unemployment rates that have shot over 10%, or crippling debts because this goverment thinks 442% interest rates are legal (Oakam has still not been driven from the High Street) or our local homless people can have the pleasure of knowing their money is being spent on policy wonks using public money on repeating themselves to each other in discussions about the erosion of the coast. Worse, the council's spin doctors are this week using these discussions (and a flurry of other things they have been pumping out ib press releases no boubt) as a distraction from the very real issues of what the council is going to do about recovering the squandered and stolen money discussed in the Independent Panel Report.
I do nevertheless wish them well and hope that all those involved have a good flight to Copenahgen. I do hope they will come back to visit us again at their own expense once the thieves in our local authority have been identified and justice has been done. Maybe that will be after the next election.
Techno2

No doubt Helen Ghosh, Jonathon Porritt or Maria Adebowale, won't see it this way, but they are being used in a manner both cynical and insulting to the poor whose plight no doubt they consider they are concerned about. This is becaused one of the most obvious local connections between poverty and climate change is the extent to which poor people in this borough find the money and resources which should be spent on alleviating their plight taken and spent on on 'green' activities at taxpayers expense by ambitious local politicians and politically ambitious 'environmental' experts having meetings like this instead of tackling serious local issues first. These same local politiccans until recently actually ignored the environmental impact of flights over our homes but still postured away. There are loads of examples of their hypocricy about, especially on the Crap Cycling website. So in inland Walthamstow, people worried sick by unemployment rates that have shot over 10%, or crippling debts because this goverment thinks 442% interest rates are legal (Oakam has still not been driven from the High Street) or our local homless people can have the pleasure of knowing their money is being spent on policy wonks using public money on repeating themselves to each other in discussions about the erosion of the coast. Worse, the council's spin doctors are this week using these discussions (and a flurry of other things they have been pumping out ib press releases no boubt) as a distraction from the very real issues of what the council is going to do about recovering the squandered and stolen money discussed in the Independent Panel Report. I do nevertheless wish them well and hope that all those involved have a good flight to Copenahgen. I do hope they will come back to visit us again at their own expense once the thieves in our local authority have been identified and justice has been done. Maybe that will be after the next election.

Score: 0

marsh warbler says...12:50pm Fri 27 Nov 09

Well said, Techno2. Call me an old cynic but, unfortunately, I think after the next election it will be plus ça change.

Well said, Techno2. Call me an old cynic but, unfortunately, I think after the next election it will be plus ça change.marsh warbler

Well said, Techno2. Call me an old cynic but, unfortunately, I think after the next election it will be plus ça change.

Score: 0

Techno2 says...1:20pm Fri 27 Nov 09

marsh warbler wrote…

Well said, Techno2. Call me an old cynic but, unfortunately, I think after the next election it will be plus ça change.

OK, you are an old cynic. Of course, even old cynics can be right sometimes.

[quote][p][bold]marsh warbler[/bold] wrote:
Well said, Techno2. Call me an old cynic but, unfortunately, I think after the next election it will be plus ça change.[/p][/quote]OK, you are an old cynic. Of course, even old cynics can be right sometimes. Techno2

marsh warbler wrote…

Well said, Techno2. Call me an old cynic but, unfortunately, I think after the next election it will be plus ça change.

OK, you are an old cynic. Of course, even old cynics can be right sometimes.

Score: 0

marsh warbler says...4:07pm Fri 27 Nov 09

More often than not these days, I fear, Techno2.

More often than not these days, I fear, Techno2. marsh warbler

More often than not these days, I fear, Techno2.

Score: 0

GrumpyG says...4:11pm Fri 27 Nov 09

The effect that climate change (which is a natural event that has been happening for thousands of years) will have on the poor is miniscule compared to the ludicrous policies being put in place by this criminally incompetent marxist government. The man made global warming contrick has nothing to do with good science and everything to do with greater control, intimidation and taxation by politicians who want to interfere in every aspect of our lives.

The effect that climate change (which is a natural event that has been happening for thousands of years) will have on the poor is miniscule compared to the ludicrous policies being put in place by this criminally incompetent marxist government. The man made global warming contrick has nothing to do with good science and everything to do with greater control, intimidation and taxation by politicians who want to interfere in every aspect of our lives. GrumpyG

The effect that climate change (which is a natural event that has been happening for thousands of years) will have on the poor is miniscule compared to the ludicrous policies being put in place by this criminally incompetent marxist government. The man made global warming contrick has nothing to do with good science and everything to do with greater control, intimidation and taxation by politicians who want to interfere in every aspect of our lives.

Score: 0

Janet1 says...2:45pm Sat 28 Nov 09

Climate change is a real and serious problem that will eventually affect us all. I too am concerned about "the poorest members of society". But to hear Waltham Forest council expressing pious concern about them -- while scandalously "losing" millions of pounds that was meant for those very people -- is almost beyond belief. Shameless.

Climate change is a real and serious problem that will eventually affect us all.
I too am concerned about "the poorest members of society".
But to hear Waltham Forest council expressing pious concern about them -- while scandalously "losing" millions of pounds that was meant for those very people -- is almost beyond belief.
Shameless.Janet1

Climate change is a real and serious problem that will eventually affect us all. I too am concerned about "the poorest members of society". But to hear Waltham Forest council expressing pious concern about them -- while scandalously "losing" millions of pounds that was meant for those very people -- is almost beyond belief. Shameless.

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